The Crowdfunding Charts: Prosthetics, light therapy, and mood rings

This week on the Crowdfunding Charts, we’ve featured devices from across the United States — and one from Finland. We have wearables to better your health, wearables to fit seamlessly in your wardrobe, and wearables raising money to help those who are sick.

But something we couldn’t help but notice is that, this week, there are a lot of promising campaigns in danger of not meeting their crowdfunding goals. Check them out below, and decide who is — or isn’t —worth giving your love (money) to.

What campaigns hit crowdfunding this week

Nu Hand on Kickstarter

Started: June 5
Goal: $50,000
Raised as of June 12: $1,274

Creating a prosthetic hand is quite difficult. How similar does it look to a human hand? How well does it perform its functions? What if the prosthetic doesn’t move like a human hand does? The Biomechanical Robotics Group out in Iowa City has created a 3D-printed prosthetic called Nu Hand to tackle these concerns with a product that is customizable and personalized.

Wear and tear is a typical for any prosthetic, but 3D printing allows Nu Hand to quickly build replaceable parts, making repairs simple. Nu Hand is currently in prototyping stage, but its potential is undeniable.

What campaigns are hot this week

Electroloom on Kickstarter

Started: May 15
Goal: $50,000
Raised as of June 12: $84,648 (goal reached!)

Brace yourselves, everyone: Electroloom is going to change the fashion game for good. This San Francisco-based startup has built 3D printers that print not plastic and not metal — but fabric. In otherwords, no sewing is required to create garments in the Electroloom.

Since the product is in Alpha mode, it’s only available to developers at the moment. You, however, can be part of the magic by donating to Electroloom’s Kickstarter campaign within the next three days.

AYO on Indiegogo

Started: May 19
Goal: $50,000
Raised As of June 12: $83,368 (goal reached!)

After spending some time in the Netherlands during the dark winter months, Novalogy CEO Branislav Nikolic was inspired to find a solution for his location-induced lethargy. “[Feeling low on energy] actually made us realize the importance of light on our bodies and its profound effect and on general well being,” he recently told Wearables.com of AYO’s inception.

AYO is a light therapy wearable designed to keep you alert and focused. It sits on your ears and nose like glasses and connects to a smartphone app which controls the light patterns you experience. It’s a smart solution to a problem plenty of people have, apparently. AYO reached its fundraising goal in just three days, and it’s still going strong.

What campaigns could use some love this week

PureWrist on Indiegogo

Started: June 1
Goal: $20,000
Raised as of June 12: $8,062

Contactless payment is an innovative idea, but let’s face it, not everyone knows how it works. PureWrist hopes to make things simple. The wearable is worn like a bracelet and uses Gratitude, which is a contactless prepaid MasterCard that’s available for a $4.99/month subscription.

Created by a father-son duo — the father having battled Leukemia three times now — PureWrist is a way of giving back. 20 percent of net profits from the Indiegogo campaign will go to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, and 20 percent of Gratitude subscription fees will go to a charity of the user’s choice. PureWrist is a simple but effective way to make a difference.

Spiro X1 on Kickstarter

Started: May 18
Goal: $75,000
Raised as of June 12: $6,464

Ah, those pesky headphone wires. How do they get so tangled? Spiro X1 eliminates the problem by removing the wires altogether and replacing them with a Bluetooth-connected plugin that has volume buttons and the ability to answer phone calls, to boot.

Unfortunately, Spiro X1 is more than likely to not going reach its fundraising goal of $75,000 in the next five days. But don’t worry — those behind the invention are planning to launch another campaign on Indiegogo sooner rather than later.

Moodmetric Ring on Indiegogo

Started: May 19
Goal: $50,000
Raised as of June 12: $2,799

“Stress and anxiety seem to present in our lives for good,” says Moodmetric’s COO Niina Venho. “Curing them with medication creates further problems, and people are seeking other methods. The Moodmetric Ring helps in understanding what causes distress and what calms the mind.”

Indeed, the Moodmetric Ring takes mood rings to whole other level. Even though it doesn’t change color, it tracks your stress levels by detecting electrodermal activity (EDA) of your skin and shows your quantified emotional levels on its smartphone app. By keeping track of stress, you may be able to see what behaviors you need to change or what situations we need to avoid.

Stay tuned for next week’s edition of the Crowdfunding Charts!